TEIXEIRA UPDATE...10:43 pm EST 12/11/08...Mark Teixeira has not yet accepted or rejected the Washington Nationals' generous offer.
No one is laughing at the Washington Nationals today. No one really seems to think Mark Teixeira is going to accept the Nationals' offer either, admittedly, but the DC Faithful seem relieved that the DC ownership has apparently finally recognized the need to reinvigorate interest in the franchise, and decided to do so by spending in a way unseen before in DC baseball lore, reportedly placing an 8-year/$160 million dollar deal on the table for the free agent first baseman who split time between Atlanta and LA last season, where he hit for a combined .308 AVG in 157 G and 574 at bats in which he collected 41 doubles, 33 HR's and 121 RBI's...leaving the soon-to-be 29-year old Teixeira with a .290 AVG over six MLB seasons in which he's averaged (according to baseball-reference.com's 162 G-AVG projections)...40 doubles, 2 triples, 36 HR's and 121 RBI's per one-sixty-two...
...Is there any downside to the offer? Sure, the fact that it was made so appallingly public can't please anyone...uh, anyone with the Nationals that is, Teixeira and agent Scott "Maximum" Boras are probably thrilled with the disclosure of the dollars and years Washington was willing to commit, and when the Baltimore Orioles' 7-year/$150 M dollar deal leaked out as well, well...at least the Angels and Red Sox know where the low-end of the bargaining begins...and who here thinks one of the teams...or even the Yankees, (who frustatingly have decided to show an interest in Teixeira even after acquiring Nick Swisher, signing CC Sabathia and "reportedly" making a 5-year/$80-$85 M.D. offer to A.J. Burnett)...won't meet the 10-year/$200 million dollar level that was "reportedly" Teixeira and Boras' original goal...
...the other backlash from the DC Faithful may come if Teixeira does in fact reject the Nationals' offer and sign elsewhere, because as MLB.com's Bill Ladson writes, in an article entitled, "Nationals make progress in Las Vegas", the franchise's backup plan, is for Washington to pursue Adam Dunn, who is thought of in some parts as a strikeout machine, in other places as a defensive liability, sure some see him as a hard-hitting left-handed 40-HR-a-year cinch...but some classless writers, no not even writers, bloggers, have occassionally referred to Adam Dunn as a "Bigger Wilkerson"...a reference to the Expo/Nationals' old strikeout Champ and 1B/LF'er Brad "Wilky" Wilkerson...It's been over 24 hours...What is Teixeira waiting for? What else is going on...
TEIXEIRA UPDATE...11:36 pm EST 12/11/08...Mark Teixeira has not yet accepted or rejected the Washington Nationals' generous offer.
Nationals' Make Reds' Pitching Prospect Rule 5 Draft's #1 Pick...
In the first of two #1 overall picks that Washington will make this season, the Nationals, in MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo's words, from his article entitled, "Teams roll dice in Vegas in Rule 5 Draft", "...started it all off by going slightly off the board,"...(ed. note - "Oh NO?")...in selecting Cincinnati Reds' pitching prospect Terrell Young, (a 6'2'', 195 lb right-hander who was a combined (5-10) with a 3.60 ERA over 5 seasons and 108 appearances in the Reds' system), with the #1 pick in today's Rule 5 Draft which was held in Vegas before everyone rushed home to mull over the offers they've heard during their stay in the...("properly modest for these hard times")...Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada...
Jonathan Mayo's article reports that the young pitcher has a, "fastball in the 94- to 96-mph range...(and)...He throws a slider, 78-82 mph", and the article also contains a quote from DC's Assistant GM Mike Rizzo, who elaborates on Mr. Mayo's statement that the Nationals' interest was finally piqued by the "biggest development" in Terrell Young's arsenal, "...a changeup that he's added recently," with Mr. Rizzo explaining:
"'The changeup was the separator...[Major League scout] Bill Singer saw him twice, once early and once late. The improvement Bill saw at the end of the season was key. Everyone liked his stuff, and his command and walk rate were trending in the right direction. He showed vast improvement in those two secondary pitches."
DC Asst GM Mike Rizzo spoke to Washington Post writer Dave Sheinin today too, and Mr. Sheinin's Nationals Journal post entitled, "UPDATE: Rizzo on Rule 5 Pick Terrell Young", quotes Mr. Rizzo really breaking Terrell Young's game down, and Mr. Rizzo then expresses his own opinion of the pitcher's role for the '09 Nationals', "He's strictly a reliever. He's been a reliever his whole career and we and(sic) see him competing in Spring Training for a bullpen job with us."
...The selection of Young comes a day after the Nationals announced that they had parted ways with right-handed reliever Jesus "Everyday" Colome, who gets a quick two paragraph goodbye from MLB.com's Bill Ladson, in an article at the Nationals' official site entitled, "Reliever Colome released by Nats", where Mr. Ladson writes simply:
"The Nationals released reliever Jesus Colome on Wednesday. The team's roster is now at 38."
That's cold...Colome pitched in 122 games over two seasons in DC, posting a (5-1) record and a 3.82 ERA in '07 and a (2-2) '08 record with 4.31 ERA and a total of 98 K's out of the DC Bullpen...
TEIXEIRA UPDATE...12:13 am EST 12/12/08...Mark Teixeira has not yet accepted or rejected the Washington Nationals' generous offer.
WINTER LEAGUE WHIRLWIND...
DWL...Anderson Hernandez went 3 for 4 last night (Thurs.) in the Tigres del Licey's 7-2 win over the Azucareros del Este in Dominican Winter League play. Anderson Hernandez's double was the 17th two-bagger of the winter for the Nationals' infielder, and Hernandez also collected his 27th RBI to go along with a .369 AVG after 42 games with the Tigres...Hernandez's teammate...(and competition come Spring Training)...Ronnie Belliard, starting at third for the Tigres, ended the night 1 for 4 with a run scored and a .341 AVG after 11 games with Licey...VWL...WDJD???...Wednesday night in the Venezuelan Winter League, Jesus "Challenge Me" Flores struggled through an 0 for 3, 3 K's appearance in a win for Flores' Navegants de Magallanes in a clear (at least jokingly) reaction to what DC Manager Manny Acta had to say about the Nationals' third-year backstop in a recent MLB.com Bill Ladson article entitled, "An interview with Manny Acta"...
TEIXEIRA UPDATE...12:37 am EST 12/12/08...Mark Teixeira has not yet accepted or rejected the Washington Nationals' generous offer...
I'll post any updates here in the Comments tomorrow...